Mollie Tibbetts' father believes she is with someone she knows: 'No one went into that house to hurt her'

Mollie Tibbetts' father, Rob Tibbetts, talks about his daughter, a University of Iowa student missing since July 18.
Rodney White, rodwhite@dmreg.com

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Mollie Tibbetts' father Rob Tibbetts talks about the search for the missing 20-year-old University of Iowa student during an interview Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018, in Grinnell, Iowa.(Photo: Rodney White/The Register)Buy Photo

The father of 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, who vanished nearly three weeks ago, speculated Monday in an interview with Fox News that his daughter was caught in "some kind of misunderstanding" with someone she knows.

"My two cents is that no one went into that house to hurt her," Rob Tibbetts told the television station, adding he believes she "left willingly with someone she knows."

Investigators have remained tight-lipped about details in the disappearance of Tibbetts, the University of Iowa student who vanished July 18 while dog-sitting for her boyfriend and his brother in Brooklyn, Iowa. Her disappearance has gained national attention.

Rob Tibbetts told Fox he believed his daughter was with someone she knows who was "over their head." Calling it "totally speculation on my part," he told the station he thought there was "some kind of a misunderstanding about the nature" of the relationship between the two.

"And at this point, they don't know how to get out from under this," he said.

He described the circumstances of his daughter's disappearance as "so unusual" that the solution would "be even more unusual."

Investigators have repeatedly said they will not comment on what may have happened to Tibbetts. They have given no indication about her whereabouts or well-being.

Tibbetts' mother, Laura Calderwood, said Thursday she believed her daughter was alive. More than $260,000 has been raised from donors across the country as a reward to solicit information that assists in her safe return.

In a previous interview with the Des Moines Register, Rob Tibbetts made a plea to any possible abductors: "If someone out there is holding Mollie, and they’re in over their head and they’ve made a horrible mistake, you can end it now before it goes any further."

State investigators have said they have conducted multiple searches for Tibbetts. The county sheriff said as many as 40 investigators have worked on the case each day, tracking down hundreds of tips that included ground, air, water and K-9 unit searches.

Car magnets printed by Live Now Designers in Brooklyn, Iowa, pictured on July 22, 2018. Community members continue to search for Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old Iowan who was last seen on July 18, 2018.
Matthew Leimkuehler/The Register

A poster found on the store front of Live Now Designs on downtown Brooklyn, Iowa, as pictured on July 22, 2018. Community members continue to search for Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old Iowan who was last seen on July 18, 2018.
Matthew Leimkuehler/The Register

Jake Tibbetts, brother to Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing about a week ago, gives an interview on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in Brooklyn.
Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing last week, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa.
Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing last week, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa.
Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing last week, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa.
Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who went missing last week, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa.
Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A poster with information about Mollie Tibbetts, a missing 20-year-old University of Iowa student, hangs in the window on a business in downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in eastern Iowa.
Kelsey Kremer/The Register

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Investigators, with the help of FBI forensic experts, have said they worked to track Tibbetts' digital footprint. That effort included sifting through data from her cellphone, social media accounts and a Fitbit, a physical activity tracker.

Asked if investigators were treating the case as an abduction, Kevin Winker, director of investigative operations at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, said Friday it was a missing-person case, telling reporters: "We are trying to find Mollie."